SKOPE NEWS FOR MARCH 1, 2016

We Are The Willows and The Homestead Records/Amble Down Records are excited to announce the double vinyl release of Picture (Portrait) parts 1 and 2 on March 25th. Available for pre-order now at WeAreTheWillows.com, the release of the double vinyl album will mark the first time Part 2 is available to the public as the companion to Part 1, which among others was featured by Buzzfeed, BBC 6, Noisey, Magnet, Paste, and BrooklynVegan.com, who lauded the music as “orchestral indie rock that’s not too far removed from Illinoise-era Sufjan.”

London Electronic Orchestra will be released on May 6 on vinyl, CD, and digital download via The Vinyl Factory. Today, the tracklist is now available, which you can view below. It is preceded in by the three-track Tilted EP, which includes a remix by LSOS (Seth Troxler and Phil Moffa) and is available now on Beatport.

LISTEN TO “WO SIND”

Driven by an organic, metronomic beat aligned with synth, chant-like vocals and a monstrous funky bass, this is seriously bum-waggling electro-freak goodness. The music does seem to aim towards a certain kind of hypnosis, particularly as the sleeping pill echo-heavy vocals cycle over the locked grooves the pair throw down.

Klaus Johann Grobe are certainly aiming towards the more dance-orientated arena of Kraut music, aligning the metro pulse of Klaus Dinger and Kraftwerk’s calculators to more biological factors – kind of like moss growing on the mainframe.

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE ANNOUNCE MORE SUMMER DATES

Atlantic recording group Death Cab for Cutie has unveiled a new series of US live dates, including headline shows and major festival appearances. The co-headline dates –with CHVRCHES and guests Pure Bathing Culture – begin June 7th at Cleveland, OH’s Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica and then stop at Canandaigua, NY’s Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center (June 8th), St. Augustine, FL’s St. Augustine Amphitheatre (June 14th), Charleston, SC’s Volvo Car Open Stadium (June 15th), and Charlotte, NC’s Uptown Amphitheatre at NC Music Factory (June 16th).

The IGive, with great assistance from close friend and long-time collaborator ill Clinton, paints a colorful canvas with warm deep brush strokes that develop a hip hop picture apart from many of his contemporaries and predecessors. RAPDNA gives us life, refreshing grooves, and passion as he expresses his thoughts on life, love, and the pursuit of happiness, overcoming the consequences of choice and adversity, and the audacity to dream big against all odds. This unique blend of hip hop, rhythm and blues, and soul brings delight to the ears of lovers of lyrical hip hop and the lovers feel good soulful music.

Today Teleman shared the video for their new single, “Düsseldorf,” an unabashed pop track and the second to be heard from their forthcoming second album, Brilliant Sanity, via the UK’s Loud And Quiet magazine. The album and single are due for release on April 8th, 2016 via Moshi Moshi.

The accompanying video was directed by Daniel Brereton (Kindness, Metronomy, Connan Mockasin), who said the following about the clip:

“The idea came about from discussions with Jonny from the band – we had a few different approaches that we worked through. I came to the idea of shooting into mirrors, and seeing the camera and the stuff you try to avoid in a shoot. It was kind of an experiment really, just trying out compositions and not knowing what we would get. Using color and shooting on film were also two aspects that we wanted to include, and I think the results work really well with the song.”

“A Dream” is a song about the inability to distinguish between waking life and dreams. It’s a propulsive track that slowly grows into a psychedelic frenzy.

With the help of veteran indie-rock producer Chris Stringer (Timber Timbre, Elliott Brood, The Wooden Sky), they were able to really hone in an existential-pop sound.

The new album showcases electro-infused beats and samples that merge with soulful psychedelic rock, while cinematic soundscapes induce an out-of-body experience, as though we are floating around, calmly observing the world.

‘KIDS DON’t CARE’ EP FREE

Following recent premieres of “AUH” and “Ratchet”, Dim Mak’s Juno Award-nominated Autoerotique now fully reveals his highly anticipated EP, Kids Don’t Care. Joining the previously released two singles is a new bass-house beast called “Streets”. The three-song collection boasts mean percussion patterns and filthy wubs throughout, demonstrating the grimy electro flair the Toronto native is known for.

Big Ups are extremely pleased to unveil the entirety of their sophomore album, Before A Million Universes, today. You can listen to it over at SPIN, where they call the record “a delicate yet wild dance between hope and bitterness” while referring the band’s impressive video for recent single “National Parks.”

Luke Top is best known for being the singer and co-founder of Fool’s Gold, a band that has enjoyed international acclaim for their unique blend of African dance music and New Wave pop stylings since 2009. He has also been a frequent touring member/musical collaborator of artists such as Cass McCombs, ADLT VDEO, and has performed live with Papercuts on select dates with Beach House and Luna. Suspect Highs is a step inward for the songwriter, resulting in his most personal collection of songs to date. It was self-produced during a period of relative isolation after several years of touring and being in bands full time.

The extended edit of MK’s highly anticipated new single, “Piece of Me” is now out, after receiving its first play on Annie Mac’s famous BBC Radio 1 show on Friday. This premiere came after MK first been revealed the track in a live performance alongside Becky Hill on BBC Radio 1. His impressive set was part of Pete Tong’s Live in LA event, with the new song becoming one of the most talked-about highlights of the show.

FRANK TURMER “MITTENS”

Frank Turner releases Mittens EP, featuring a new mix of the title track plus four songs on March 4th. A video for the song, starring Turner as a slow-motion Elvis, is available now HERE. The video for “Mittens” was directed by Turner’s close friend Ben Morse, who also directed Turner’s video for “The Next Storm.”

Turner is launching the EP alongside a new interactive website that echoes the song’s backstory. “’Mittens’ is a song about taking a risk for someone and letting your guard down,” Turner says. “It’s based on a real experience I had where I was bothered about not getting a reply from someone, so I got obsessed with used postcards on a visit to a thrift store in New York. In the end she never did write back, but I like to think the risk was worth it, and I learned from the experience. With that in mind, I thought it would be cool to set up a website where people can send (virtual) postcards to each other, and use the opportunity to say something meaningful, to take a risk, and see what comes back. The video ties in with all of this — and my Elvis obsession — sometimes it’s still worth it, even if you lose.”

From late 1992 and throughout the remainder of the decade, if you spent any amount of time watching MTV or listening to rock radio, you were bound to come in contact with a tune by Stone Temple Pilots. With such classic releases as ‘Core,’ ‘Purple,’ and ‘Tiny Music…Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop’ selling millions and spawning countless hits (“Sex Type Thing,” “Plush,” “Creep,” “Vasoline,” “Interstate Love Song,” “Big Empty,” “Big Bang Baby,” etc.), STP is now widely considered one of rock’s all-time great acts.

And during this time, there were few rock frontmen who commanded an audience and generated as many headlines as Scott Weiland. Despite fronting another successful band, Velvet Revolver, and issuing his own critically acclaimed solo albums, Weiland could not overcome his demons – passing away in 2015 (at the age of 48).

Detroit-born, Los Angeles-based artist JMSN (Christian Berishaj), is excited to announce his highly anticipated forthcoming album It is. – due out Friday, May 6, 2016 via his own White Room Records.

In support of the forthcoming release, JMSN is also happy to share that he’ll embark on a North American tour starting in Santa Ana on May 7th and ending with a performance in San Francisco on June 22nd before the final show in Santa Cruz on June 24! Tickets sales begin March 3, 2016 and can be purchased at iamjmsn.com/tour.

Eric Church has built a reputation for making every live show special with one-night-only set lists, unique arrangements, and stripped solo shows. Now “our greatest working rock star” (Stereogum) is pushing the envelope even further with a not to be missed two-night solo stand at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Tuesday, Aug. 9 and Wednesday, Aug. 10.

Fan club members will have the first chance to purchase tickets and travel packages during the fan club pre-sale, starting March 4, on ericchurch.com. The one or two night travel packages include lodging at Denver’s Hotel Monaco, transportation to and from the venue, and tickets in the first 20 rows. This package and tickets will also be offered to the public beginning at 10 a.m. MT on March 11 by visiting www.axs.com or by phone at (888) 929-7849.

From Friday, April 1st through Sunday April 3rd at Resorts World Casino join international artists from Russia, Portugal, Italy, France, the UK and more alongside thousands of music, art and tattoo lovers for the United Ink No Limits Tattoo Expo! Presented by World Famous Tattoo Ink and sponsored by FK Irons, Vanish MD, Inked Republic Clothing, and Kuro Sumi Tattoo Ink- the expo brings together 250 booths and over 400 of the world’s best tattoo artists as Tattoo Lou and Jackie Rubino have personally traveled the world to find the cream of the crop to bring back to New York City for this incredible event!

Grand Rapids, Michigan rapper/producer/visual artist Tekh Togo presents BlackWater, his new album featuring Mick Jenkins, Nitty Scott MC and Dougy Lo Hot as well as production from Mistro, Nixon and Seventh of AGO. One music video from the project has been released, for “Dressed To Kill” (watch). Tekh describes “Blackwater” as “dark elegance, plush griminess, fly abstract rhyming about the ill side and the real side of life and times today.”

Another indication of the impending scope and grandeur of Explosions In The Sky’s The Wilderness (out April 1 on Temporary Residence Ltd) was revealed yesterday when Zane Lowe premiered album track “Logic of a Dream” on his Beats 1 show.

Grammy Award winner Kelly Clarkson releases the newly recorded “Piece By Piece (Idol Version)” today at all digital providers. The track will also be added to the Piece By Piece Deluxe Album (at digital providers only). Last week, Kelly stunned audiences after her emotional performance of the title track on American Idol. Following her performance, the track skyrocketed to #1 on iTunes Top Songs Chart while the album shot to #3 on the Top Albums Chart. The track still remains at #1 with the album in the top 5. The album was also certified GOLD by the RIAA.

WILD IRIS ON HUFFPO

Last Friday Santa Cruz beach blues duo Wild Iris premiered their ode to laziness “Lazy Daze” on Huffpost which featured the bands lackadaisical explanation of the songs synchronistic origins:

“Kate wrote the lyrics hanging in a hammock on a friend’s back porch one day and was thrilled when she later heard Bryan compliment it with the perfect riff. When she asked him when and where he came up with it he told her that he had written it in the very same hammock just days before!”

Panic! At The Disco will tape an episode of PBS’ critically acclaimed television and digital music series Live from the Artists Den
in Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, March 13th. Fans can enter to win tickets to attend this Artists Den secret show by visiting www.artistsden.com/panic. The ticket sweepstakes opens today, February 29th at 1:00p EST and closes at 6:00p EST on March 12th. Stay tuned in the weeks ahead for information on the episode’s airdate.

Panic! At The Disco landed its first #1 album with Death Of A Bachelor (DCD2/Fueled By Ramen), which was released on January 15th. Death Of A Bachelor marked the band’s highest debut in its 10+ year career. It was also #1 on the iTunes album chart in 18 countries around the world.

The No. 1 selling, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist and global phenomenon Yanni has performed his distinctive music in exotic and historic locations all across the world. From his groundbreaking concert at the Acropolis to his most recent televised performance at El Morro, Puerto Rico, Yanni has pushed the boundaries of the way audiences experience live music. After performing at China’s Forbidden City and India’s Taj Mahal, Yanni realized his lifelong dream to perform at the foot of the Sphinx at the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt — the last of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World that remains today. The November 2015 concert was captured in 4K state-of-the-art high definition audio and video, and features a career-spanning selection of fan favorites, along with never-before-performed songs and new arrangements of his classic compositions. YANNI: THE DREAM CONCERT – LIVE AT THE GREAT PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT premieres on PBS stations beginning March 5. A CD/DVD or Blu-ray of the historic concert is out June 3 via Sony Music Masterworks’ imprint Portrait Records, and is available for preorder March 4.

Firmly planted outside of any political spectrum, loud, unabashed and fluent in DIY principles, Bad Cop formed in 2009 and immediately caught interest of one of America’s oldest punk labels–ROIR, home to Bad Brains and releases from MC5, Beastie Boys, Television and others.

HOTBED NEW SINGLE

Birmingham Alabama’s jangly guitar driven indie-pop quartet HotBed have just unveiled their brand new track Distrust with music publication The Wild Honey Pie. The track Distrust is featured on HotBed’s self-titled EP – which was also just made public along with the release of the track.

“There’s a unique appeal to the raspy, guttural tone with which some singers are blessed. This voice is distinct, passionate and intriguing, and the boys in HotBed give us just that. ” – Melissa Hersh, The Wild Honey Pie

Interscope recording artists Zedd and Aloe Blacc have teamed up to create a brand-new song entitled “Candyman” — a modern reinterpretation of Sammy Davis Jr.’s 1972 classic “The Candy Man.” The song, which was written by Zedd and Aloe Blacc (who performs the vocals) and produced and mixed by Zedd, is available for purchase and streaming via all digital partners today.

The same soulfulness that gave the band its name in the first place is still there, but now voiced through a blend of musicians that make room not just for their bluegrass legacy, but also for the introspection of singer/songwriter ballads, the simplicity of classic country, the excitement of R&B, and the atmospherics of modern folk pop. The 10-song set was produced by the band and recorded live in the studio without edits or studio trickery; the first single from the album, “Addicted” premieres today via PopMatters.

Leeds 4-piece Chaika return with their latest harrowing take on garage-psych with new single ‘The Quietness’. Once again the band are teaming up with producer Matt Peel (Eagulls, Pulled Apart by Horses, Autobahn), rekindling the relationship that resulted in acclaimed previous single ‘The Mirror’.

The self proclaimed exemplifiers of psych noir anguish are kicking off what’s looking to be a busy year ahead, with a debut EP in the writing, as well as exciting live slots on the horizon, for which the band have cultivated an impressive live show. Towards the end of 2015, notable support slots included opening for the likes of Demob Happy, Cheatahs and Girls Names, and continuing in this vein through the start of 2016 has seen them play with INHEAVEN and Actor. A slot at Ulltra Festival alongside Kagoule and Weirds is also to come in June, after a show at The Lock Tavern on 4th March.

JAMES UNVEIL OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR “NOTHING BUT LOVE”

Today, James proudly premiered their moving new video for their latest single “Nothing But Love,” taken from their forthcoming album “Girl At The End Of The World” out on 18th March via BMG Recordings.

The distinct sound of The Boho’s new single represents the essence of the band, their trademark sound refined and re-packaged into one exciting, unique statement of intent. A band with a message engrossed in the current movement of disbelief and disenchantment with today’s leaders.

Smashing out raucous passionate sets throughout a string of sell out shows and parties bursting at the seams amongst the like minded of Bath and Bristol. The South West-based band have always proved difficult to pigeonhole – moving quickly and swiftly between genres, gaining a significant cult following for their bold inability to settle into typecast while ploughing rich pop furrows.

VERSUS “LIFE IN THE SHADE”

After touring for 6 years as the act “Lakeview Drive” and releasing 4 records during that time the band known now as VERSUS has got lots of experience & miles under their belts. Lakeview Drive has shared the stage with different acts from Ryan Cabrera, Rookie of the Year, Deleasa, The Nearly Deads, Sparks The Rescue, to harder acts such as; Ionia, For All Those Sleeping, Capture The Crown, and many others. At the end of 2014, we began our relationship with Mike Mowery of Outerloop Management.

NEW BAS VIDEO

Ahead of Bas’ debut major label release Too High To Riot out this Friday (3/4) he’s dropped a visual for his single “Methylone” (prod. by Ron Gilmore). The Queens artist set’s himself apart from the rest of Dreamville crew with this one with his lyrical prowess showing why he’s poised to have a big year with this album.

DON WILLIAMS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AFTER ILLUSTRIOUS SIX DECADE COUNTRY MUSIC CAREER

Country Music Hall of Famer and CMA/ACM award winner Don Williams, who became one of the biggest country stars known as the “Gentle Giant” with his relaxed songs and 6-foot-1-inch frame, is retiring after six decades of making music and entertaining crowds.

“It’s time to hang my hat up and enjoy some quiet time at home. I’m so thankful for my fans, my friends and my family for their everlasting love and support,” Williams said.

#DonWilliams

SARAH BORGES SINGLE VIA PASTE

Boston native, Sarah Borges has just released her latest single “Tendency to Riot” from her upcoming EP, Good and Dirty. Paste.says, *********.

According to Sarah, the song is a semi-autobiographical song about being afraid to be alone, and the fake companionship one can find in late night bars and alcohol. Even the worst relationships can look dramatic and exciting rather than dysfunctional and wrong in neon light.”

Cellus Hamilton’s highly anticipated “CCPT3” mixtape is now available worldwide courtesy of Prophesied Records. To celebrate, he’s released the video for his single “Church Politics” in creative hip-hop style. The visual arrives just one month after the official release of “CCPT3”; and will be followed by videos for “600 Degrees Below” & “Mojo”. The video – directed by Nick Beauregard of Blakkhouse Films – is an unfiltered expression of how human tradition & religion divides people like politics. In “Church Politics”, Cellus Hamilton returns to his hip-hop roots; and resurrects the lyricism that grabbed the industry’s attention in 2013. “Church Politics” features production from Chicago producer “Von Vuai”.

DIVINE WEEP LABEL DEAL & ALBUM

The latest record of Divine Weep from Bialystok (Poland), titled ‘Tears of the Ages’ and released by the band last October, has just been officially published by the US label Stormspell Records and is going to be distributed in the US, Europe and Japan. The material registered in Hertz Studio/Dobra 12 Studio comprises ten compositions in oldschool heavy/power metal style but with a modern feel. Wojciech Hoffmann from the band Turbo played as a guest star in one of the tracks.

The release of the record coincided with the departure of the lead singer, Igor Tarasewicz, who decided to focus on his private life and plans at the end of the last year. Therefore, the band has started to look for a new singer. Candidates can already apply on the band’s Facebook page, where they can also find all necessary information.

On Friday, April 29, 2016, the We Are Family Foundation® (WAFF), a not-for-profit organization founded by legendary GRAMMY® Award winning musician, Nile Rodgers, will honor President Jimmy Carter at Manhattan Center’s Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

President Jimmy Carter will receive the distinguished Mattie J.T. Stepanek Peacemaker Award which honors a person who has made a significant contribution towards promoting a peaceful society. Jimmy Carter served as the thirty-ninth President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. In 1982 President Carter became University Distinguished Professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and founded The Carter Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that actively addresses international and national issues of public policy. He is the author of twenty-eight books and numerous articles. In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Previous honorees include, Dr. Maya Angelou, Desmond Tutu and Paul Simon.

Genre-transcending artist Julian Lynch unveiled a brand new track titled May with the team over at Stereogum. The track will be featured on the forthcoming compilation A Home – put out by Dig That Treasure! Records to benefit the Refugee Council to help asylum seekers in the UK.

“May is an eerie, many-tiered piece of astral folk. It sounds a lot like springtime.” – Gabriela Claymore, Stereogum